Great naturalists were famous scientists who studied nature directly by interacting with it. This word can be deciphered by dividing it into two parts: "nature" is nature, and "test" is testing.
Great Naturalists List
In the period of natural science, when nature had to be described and studied as a whole, i.e., to use knowledge from different fields of science, such as botany, astronomy, zoology, mineralogy, the first natural scientists appeared in different countries of the world. It is worth listing the scientists, and talking about some in more detail, who managed to make interesting discoveries when there were still so few opportunities and knowledge:
- Steve Irwin (Australia).
- Terry Irwin (Australia).
- Alice Manfield (Australia).
- Jose Bonifacio de Andrada and Silva (Brazil).
- Bartolomeu Lourenço de Guzman (Brazil).
- Eric Pontoppidan (Denmark).
- Frederik Faber (Denmark).
Great natural scientists were in France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Croatia, Switzerland and Russia, among which are known Vyacheslav Pavlovich Kovrigo, AlexanderFedorovich Kots and Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov.
First Naturalist
Human interest in nature appeared in ancient times, when he began to think about what plants can be eaten and what not, how to hunt animals and how to tame them.
In ancient Greece, the first great naturalists appeared, including Aristotle. He was the first to study and observe nature and made an attempt to systematize his knowledge. At the same time, the scientist attached sketches to his observations, which helped in the study. It was the first scientific manual that has been used in the study for a long time.
During his lifetime, Aristotle created a large zoological garden, and several thousand people were given to help him, among them fishermen, shepherds, hunters, where everyone was known as a master in his own direction.
Based on the information collected, the scientist wrote more than 50 books, where he divided organisms into protozoa, which were at the lowest stage of development, and also identified other living organisms that are more complex. He singled out a group of animals that today are called Arthropods, including Insects and Crustaceans.
Great naturalists: Carl Linnaeus
Gradually knowledge accumulated, plants and animals had to be given names, but on different continents people gave their names, resulting in confusion. It was especially difficult for scientists to exchange knowledge and experience, because it was difficult to understand what or who they were talking about. Aristotle's system, which had been used for a long time, was outdated and no longer relevant when new lands were discovered.
The first to realize that it was time to clean up was the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus, who did a great job in the 17th century.
He gave each species a name, and in Latin, so that everyone could understand in different countries of the world. Also, organisms were divided into groups and classifications and received a double name (subspecies). For example, birch has an additional name like flat-leaved and dwarf, brown and white bear.
The Linnaean system is still used, although at different times it was modified and supplemented, but the core of this system remained the same.
Charles Darwin
In the 19th century, the famous scientist Charles Darwin lived in England, who contributed to the development of science and created his theory of the origin of the world, which every schoolchild knows.
Many great natural scientists adhered to Darwin's version, which was that living organisms change over time, adapting to certain living conditions. But not everyone can adapt, and the strongest survive, who is also able to pass on his best qualities to his descendants.
Russian scientists
In different years, great natural scientists were in Russia, and many people know about their merits and discoveries.
Genetic scientist Nikolai Vavilov made a huge contribution to the study of culturalplants. He collected the largest collection of seeds, which numbered about 250 thousand samples, determined their place of origin, and also developed a theory about plant immunity.
Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov made a great contribution to the field of immunology by studying the human body and how it fights various viruses. The works were devoted to the study of cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, and syphilis, attempts to understand the origin and find ways to fight. He artificially caused syphilis in a monkey and described it in his writings. Only for these achievements can he be classified as a "great naturalist". Biology was the main science for him: he created a theory about the origin of multicellular organisms, during the derivation of which he devoted a lot of time to studying the aging process, and believed that old age comes prematurely due to self-poisoning of the body by various microbes and poisons.
